Shopping with the devil

On Friday (June 30), The Devil Wears Prada opens in theaters. Based on the wildly successful book by Lauren Weisberger, the much-anticipated movie will give scores of women a fashion fix.

The Devil follows Andy Sachs, an idealistic and fashion-challenged assistant at Runway Magazine, as she navigates the high-pressure world of fashion journalism. Meryl Streep plays Sachs’ boss Miranda Priestly, whose self-absorbed and powerful persona help transform Sachs into the perfectly polished assistant Priestly has always wanted.

If the movie makes you want to head to New York for employment in the fashion industry, let me offer you a kinder, gentler option. Amazon.com has opened a Devil Wears Prada boutique where you can pre-order the distressed, studded handbag Patricia Fields designed for Sachs to carry in the movie. (I say pre-order because the in-demand bag already has sold-out and won’t start shipping again until Aug. 1.) The roomy bag comes with seven different multiple personalities; it can be turned from a shoulder bag to a hand-held carryall and back to a clutch, and so on. The purse is $79.95.

Anyone who has lived through a stomach virus, and found that she can actually fit in her skinny jeans after, will appreciate the other items sold at the online boutique. Tanks and T-shirts with the message, “I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight” are available for $14.99.